michep21

Hey everyone,

So I thought about it and I decided instead of forking my money over to an installer and learn nothing, I'm going to install my equipment all by myself. Here's the details:

Equipment:

1 - MTX Thunder 3404 4-channel amp (50 watts RMS)
1- Bazooka BA1300 Class D (240 watts RMS at 4 ohms)
2- Kicker 10' comp subwoofers
1- set of Infinity Ref 6010 rear door speakers
1- set of Kicker RS series component speakers (with tweeters seperate and crossovers)
1- Mercman's Harness
1- Mercman's BALUN
1- 100 watt capacitor

The door speakers are already in the doors (mounted), with the exception of the tweeters. This was all installed in the car at one point. But the dealer reverted everything back to stock, so now I have to redo everything (run all wires/buy wires

Question(s)/Issues:

-I've NEVER done a car stereo install before, so please post accordingly
-I've searched for upwards of a week now and seen such thread's as Reach's amp install and MadMax's amp install.

1. First and foremost, what do I need to buy...in terms of RCA cables/power wires/ fuses, miscellaneous parts, wiring kits...ANYTHING that's necessary to get this done.

2. After I run mercman's harness to the back, run it through the BALUN, and run a short patch cable to the amp...how do I get this amped signal back to the speakers?

3. How does my sub amp come into play?

4. How do I hook up the crossovers and install the tweeters... anything of note?

5. What's the best way to run the power from the battery? I've read some of Dom's threads, about something about a firewall and grommets? I have no idea where these things are.

6. Any and all help is well apprecated in advance, I tried to make this as reader friendly/detailed as possible.

7. Also, any estimate as to how much this will cost with me doing it myself (b
asically $ of parts) vs installer (cost of parts/labor?)

Thanks and here it goes.

michep21

Sidenote: Also, since this forum has contributed so much already (and hopefully contributes a whole hel of a lot more LOL) I'm going to be posting a photo journey, that by the time I finish, answers all of these questions and can go in the DIY... for complete nubs like me

mercman

You need to purchase and run the power wires. You don’t need any audio interconnects. The power wire is the toughest to do and you should get help from someone with experience with such things. You need to have the proper tools like the right size crimper. I would suggest getting an install guide or book to explain things. The power wire must be done correctly and is a safety issue if done wrong. A shorted power line can start a fire in no time. Seek out some live help here since it is your first time.

The sub amp is connected to the 4 ch with a patch cable fro the 4ch pre-out or pass-thru ports. Check with the owner’s manual it should have a diagram on what to do.

The crossovers are easy to wire and come with instructions too. Install the tweeters in the dash with the wires provided and connected to the xover tweeter terminals. You can install the xovers in the center console where the factory amp is. The passenger kick panel can also hold an xover.

You can get the 06 civic Si amp bypass harness from Crutchfield for about $30. It will plug into the 20 pin connector removed from the factory amp and provide connections to the door speakers. Wire the front door speakers to the xovers and the run the rear door speaker to the rear channel of your amp.

You can run some 16 ga speaker wire from the front ch amp outs to the xovers for the front speakers.

This is easy stuff and again I would suggest getting an experienced helper.

Run the power line up the side of the car. You should have a firewall hole where CC ran the previous wire; run the wire on what ever side the hole is on. I used the factory grommet because I did not want to drill (I could have, I just didn’t want to). I posted some info on how to do this last year. Chances are CC drilled a hole for the power line; just make sure you use a grommet. Check your amp manuals for the proper size wire and remember you are feeding two amps. If each amp calls for 8ga power lead then use a 4ga to a dist block. Fuse the power lead at the battery. Again a book and a helper would be good here.

Perhaps someone can recommend a book for you to study; I don’t think it is a good idea for you to try this alone. I just re-read your post and if you don’t know what the firewall or a grommet is then you need gain some basic car audio knowledge before you start. It really is not all that hard but can be overwhelming the first time through. The forum is probably not the best place to learn how to do an install.

jeff

michep21

Is this wiring kit sufficient? or can anyone recommend something better/cheaper/or both lol.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...5RFK4D&tp=1469

And is this the speaker harness

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...ss&i=120701727

Oh, and I forgot to mention the car right now is wired "completely stock" except the door speakers are after market. Once I use that harness do I simply run the newly-split speaker wires to the amp out?

1. I don't quite understand where the additional speaker wire comes in play. I know since the tweeters are separate an additional part comes into play. Can you clarify a little bit? (I'm assuming 16 gauge from amp out to fronts, but not quite sure how the split wire goes to crossovers)

2. So run power wires down the side, and speaker wire and your harness down the middle of the car.

3. What about the the remote turn on leads? For two amps...and the Active BALUN.


And, Jeff, I'll definately pay heed to your advice and ask a friend I know for help, it's just I'm trying to get a feel of things and only buy/order what I need. And help from experienced TSXers doesnt hurt . Thanks in advance and keep those comments/suggestions/tips/warnings coming

And turns out, I don't have a capacitor, it's just the fuse holder from the last wiring.

michep21

http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/cat/...d/lookLearn.do

and

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/how_to_i..._a_car_amp.htm

seem to cover a lot of the power wiring aspects...now I need TSX specific advice and tips/pointers to avoid noise and equipment

mercman

For the front you run the front channels from your amp to each crossover. The crossover will be labeled. Just use 16ga speaker wire. Then locate the drivers and passenger door speaker leads on the Civic harness and attach tem to the crossover. Again, this will be clearly labeled on the crossover. Each crossover will be labeled Amp, Mid, Tweeter or similar so you really can’t mess it up. Just watch the + and – and don’t reverse them.

You defiantly do not need a $100 wiring kit and you don’t need the RCAs. Look for a multi-amp kit that is power and ground only no patch cables. You need the fuses and a power distribution block, not the RCA cables.

When you get your components they come with the wires for the tweeters and mid/bass speakers. In the TSX you will use only the wires for the tweeters since the mid speakers are in the doors and use the factory wires. Just attach the provided wires to the tweeters and fish it down the hole to the bottom of the dash and to your crossovers. You only need the speaker wire to connect the crossovers to the amp since you can’t use the factory wire for this.

Yes run the speaker wires and my harness down the center and under the rear seat and in to the trunk.

You have to connect each amp and the active BALUN to the harness amp turn on lead. You can daisy chain them or tie them all together with a splice, it is up to you.

jeff

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

Kicker Hyperflex dual amp kit on ebay, much better wire (more flexible, and more strand count) and at almost half the price to what you linked us to

http://cgi.ebay.com/KICKER-AMP-KIT-4....c66.m20.l1116

Everything you need minus the interconnects and speaker wire.

That kit will provide you with everything you need to power up youre two amps

michep21

Okay that definiately helps

3 follow up questions:

1. I'm assuming that with the 2 d blocks: I put 4 gauge power (from battery) in one dblock and out comes two 8-gauge power one for each amp, and 4 gauge ground in (from chassis) and two 8-gauge ground out...one for each amp.

2. So I'm assuming in addition to this wiring kit I still need to buy one 8 gauge power and one 8 gauge ground for my sub amp.

3. Also, anything else I need to make sure I have three remote turn on wires? Since Mercman said daisy chaining, I'm assuming amps have a remote turn on in and a remote turn on out of sorts?...let me know if theres a d-block type thing for this as well.

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

^quoted in bold

Also, I have about 3ft of hyperflex here if you need it, just pay shipping and like 2 bucks

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

Sorry, I should've added on #2. You won't need to buy more power wire, unless you need the extra length, however, I figured in a typical setup, the amps arn't too far away from each other anyway, so 5ft is usually enough.

and about the hyperflex, the wire I have is 4ga, sorry for the mistake, I don't have any 8ga laying around, the ones that are 8ga anyway, is overkill 8ga speaker wire for my subs

michep21

Thanks for the prompt response

Quick questions:

1. So I read more about daisy chaining, and it seems that since the remote turn on wire has such a small current and amps require an even smaller one to sense I can use one remote turn on from the harness and split it...my question is how?

2. Also, anyone have any recommendations on any tools I need, anything special to cut the power cables

3. Do I need to crimp the unused wires of the 06 Civic SI speaker harness? I read that you can use a AA battery to find out which is which....but how do I know (+) from (-). I read Jay's thread that he used this...but while on crutchfield I came across this

Unless your in-dash receiver comes with bullet connectors on the speaker and power leads (and most don't), you'll need to use crimp caps to connect your Crutchfield wiring harness to the receiver's wires.

So do I need this too: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...=crimp&tp=990?

And do I need power crimps as well or no?



4. I suppose I need this: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...42TK12V&tp=990

Is that sufficient for my ENTIRE install? I don't really have tools, and thanks again for all the help so far Wong and Jeff. Chuggin along

Need to make a FINAL parts list before I order, since I have spring break to do the install and need to have everything at home before I can do this.

michep21

In addition to that, I want to add an aux input for my Zen...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Blitzsafe-HON-AU...QQcmdZViewItem

Just wanted to make sure, this wouldn't introduce any noise/problems with my upcoming install?

madmanmax3000

Hey, just figured I'd chime in. I'm glad you took a look at my thread, I'm actually still doing my install because I hit a few snags. I hope to be done this weekend. If you haven't already gone and bought a power wire kit, you should definitely check out www.edesignaudio.com they have a lot of good raw wire and wiring kits at very reasonable prices. They also custom fabricate spacer rings, although you seem to have gotten you front speakers on okay.

I would definitely get the speaker wire harness from Crutchfield NO QUESTION. It saved me so much time and money. I'm so happy I didn't spend a couple hundred on fancy speaker wire, everything sounds great with the Crutchfield harness.

For AUX input I used the Soundgate SNHOND3, or whatever they are calling it now (I did mine almost 4 years ago). I added a ground loop isolator on the AUX input. It was about $8 from Radio Shack. I don't know if it's honestly necessary, I'm sure Jeff will know.

That toolkit you found on Crutchfield looks pretty complete. I can't guarantee the quality of it, but it sure seems to have lots of what you need. For cutting the power wire you can just use a razor knife carefully.

Yes, you can use a battery to find the speakers, a signal generator would be much easier but dont go out and buy one. Just hold one wire on the battery and tap the other polarity on the opposite terminal of the battery. Pos/neg doesn't matter, it will just cause the voice coil to move in opposite directions. Pos will make it go out, neg will make it go in. Also, you don't need those end caps on the speaker harness. I just curled mine up and put some tape on the end.

Hope this helps

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

That kicker amp will be everything you need to get everything powered up. Since you're using a balun, you'll need a short 4 channel RCA, or (2) 2channel RCA's, (I used two 2ch since my amps are away from each other, about 3ft in length each rca, depends on how far you plan on putting the amps, really)

I can't chime in on the harness, since I ran new speaker wires, and soldered it to my speakers, but I could say that doing that extra work to save 30$ instea dof paying for a harness could be worth it.

You don't really NEED a crimp, it'd just make things easier, I've been fine with my scissors and box cutter, but it takes practice, to cut speaker wire with it . Crimping the wire terminals, I usually just put it on, elec tape around the top, hammer it, and take the tape off. The tape I just use so that the crimp doesn't slide around when I hammer it. Cheaper than buying a crimp or vice to do terminals I suppose!

bullyx2

I am sorry, I know I may piss some people off here, but I wanted to chime in. I second Merc's earlier recommendation of an experienced installer. I think it's cool that you want to learn how to do this install. There's a certain pride you get from doing a job on your own, and mercman's harness, and the civic harness make it much easier. That being said, a lot of the questions being asked are very basic. (like how to use 1 turn on wire for 2 amps) There's nothing wrong with that question, everyone has to start somewhere. But, my point is, you have a really nice car and some good equipment. Were it me, this would not be the install I'd want to be learning on. A good first install is a simple head unit install, door speaker install, or an amp on an aftermarket deck. Two amps, 8 speakers, cap, etc.. is a big job. Even though the harnesses and the advice here make it easier, you're still integrating into an expensive system in an expensive car. One simple mistake could end up costing a lot of money in damage to your equipment, or worse, your car. Just my 2 cents, but were I you, I'd leave this job to a professional.

madmanmax3000

I may or may not agree with Bully depending on a few things. I was also a total car audio noob, my TSX is my first car, I've never done any installs before, and I'm doing a fairly complete system in my car.

What I'd say has made all of the difference to me: Helms manual, Acurazine, physical help from somebody with more experience, patience

If you have all of those things there's no reason you shouldn't do the job yourself. My car has been out of commision for about a month and a half now, but it's okay with me because I've been driving my SUV for the winter. If you have the luxury of being able to take your time on this project go ahead, but don't expect to get it done in a weekend. If you try to rush things you will definitely mess something up, and yes, it may be something expensive. Also, having somebody you know that is more experienced that can come over and help you out with things is a tremendous help.

Perhaps you could even find an install shop that is willing to do the work for you in stages so that you can do some of it yourself.

michep21

Thanks Bully for the advice, and thanks Max for the reassuring words.

I have a friend who's done his own installs before so I have him to help...

1. So I've figured out that to get the remote turn on into 2 all you need to do is splice...any suggestions on what how to splice (use the 6$ connectors [so you dont have to splice], or strip the wire wrap another stripped wire around and put electrical tape around it?)

2. I've read you do need a GLI for the blitzsafe especially if I'm going to be charging the zen while using the aux input. Any recommendations on cheap/good GLIs. And would I just hook up the GLI in between the zen and the blitzsafe?

3. And I need a 4 channel short RCA patch from balun to MTX 4 channel amp, and I suppose another 4 channel to go from MTX preamps to bazooka sub amp...any recommendations on quality/cheap short patch cables that would work with this?

Once I get my product list and where to buy everything, I'm going to make a final product/materials list with prices and places and see if I'm missing anything.

bullyx2

NP. Sorry if I sounded like an ass. I'd just hate to log on here one day and hear that something went wrong. It's just this is not a simple install and it's going into a nice car. Yeah, like MAX said, having someone experienced to help will go a long way. And he's right, DEFINITELY take your time. I have been installing on the side for close to 20 years and mine took 2 full days because I didn't rush anything.

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

^

michep21

Thanks Wong,

Yeah my amps are close together and are already mounted. The 4 channel amp is on top of my sub box and the sub amp is mounted behind the sub box. It was installed like this for 2 years without any problems before it was all reverted to stock...

1. So, I guess I can use the 4 channel RCA shielded...again any place knukonceptz or monoprice?

2. Still waiting word on the GLI/blitzsafe issue

3. Need to figure out daisy chaining details.

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

I'm still thinking that is too far for the rca's, from where the RCA connecters split from the jacket, there's onyl about 6-8" of slack there, so unless where the two points that you are connecting to are that close, I don't think you can make it work, I had to trade my 4ch for 2x 2ch's when I tried.
Unless you face your two amps like this, where the arrow is pointing to where the rca's are
#1 --->> <<----- #2
or
___ >>
___ >>

I'm not sure how else you'd be able to use a 4ch to connect two amps.

Daisy chain:

michep21

Complete list of materials v1

Aux Input Blitzsafe v2.x

http://cgi.ebay.com/Blitzsafe-HON-AU...QQcmdZViewItem

Speaker Cable 16 gauge (20 feet)

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDe...prodID=KAR16SS

KICKER 4 gaugeDual Amp wiring kit with dist blocks

http://cgi.ebay.com/KICKER-PKD4-4-GA...QQcmdZViewItem

Civic SI adapter (for speakers)

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...arness&tp=3486

Audio tool kit

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...ll+tool&tp=990

4 2-channel RCA cables

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDe...?prodID=KLA-1M


--------------------

I hope this covers everything...let me know if theres ANYTHING at all that you know I'll be needing. Thanks in advance, once I get the okay from a couple of people I order and then the REAL fun begins.

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

erg repost

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

might want to go 30-40ft of 16ga to be safe

i used close to 50ft, and my xovers are in the front, too. i wouldn't be suprised if you used 30-40, too

michep21

I just spent 45 minutes reading horror stories about the blitzsafe so I decided to bite the bullet and order the USASPEC Pa11-hon2y from crutchfield after reach's glowing review

I guess I can use it with my old 3rd gen ipod, anyways I bought it for 129.99 with a 20 dollar code I found from
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...120&tab=review

So now all I need is to order the rest of the stuff. Quick ?s

1. Is the aforementioned equipment (except the blitzsafe of course everything, and is it all of decent quality so it won't be "ghetto with noise"?

2. Any thing else I need to know now that I have a USASPEC? (GLI, noise, etc?)

I'm already getting up there in terms of budget

Edit: Wong's original made me dig deeper and find the fallacies of the blittzsafe Alright waiting for some confirmations so I can start ORDERING

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

My was because I never used it

I've used the USA Spec before, it did me good, but i sold it since I needed money at one point. CD Quality sound, no weird noises.

I now have the Dice R4, with a little bit of searching, I now have text on my navi screen
I'd say the dice is comparable to the USAS, only flaw about it is I don't like how it doesn't repeat the playlist once its to the last song, at the last song, it just keeps replaying the last song. nothing intolerable, though.

Here's a crappy cell phone video of the system, you can see the text on the screen in the links below

Copy pasted from an old post of mine, few days old actually

michep21

Hey, I'm getting ready to submit my knukonceptz order...just a quick question. Going back in MadMax's thread I remember him shorting out the fuses on the distribution block, will I need fuses for that kicker distribution block?

If so, what sizes/type so I can order them from Knukonceptz together with my RCA interconnects and speaker wire.

Any fuses from here: http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMa...Category=Fuses

?

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

The kicker block is not fused

If your amp has fuses built in, you should be fine without a fuse at the d-block, if not, you should order a fused d-block while you're ordering from knukonceptz.
Don't get the AGU fuse holders, maxi, mini-anl, and anl fuses are more reliable.

This one should be perfect, i'm not sure what kind of amps you're using, but I'd say 100amp for the subwoofer amp, and 80amp for the speaker amp
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDe...?prodID=KNF-12

You should be able to sell the extra dblock from the kicker set on ebay for close to 15$

michep21

Both of my amps have "thermal, overload, and short circuit protection" I know for sure my 4 channel has 2x20 amp fuses not sure about the sub one but its dirt cheap anyways and I'm sure there was nothing special on it for 2 years.

So I'm ordering everything as we speak

michep21

Ordered everything from my materials list from page 1, except for a USASPEC instead of a blitzsafe for a GRAND total of $283.90

I decided to buy 40 feet of speaker cable as per wong's suggestion. and 4 2-channel RCA's.

I hope all of this stuff is Grade A quality, and I hope I don't have to spend one more dime...only sweat (and minimal turmoil )

I start installing March 7th

michep21

Alright, got a day more of classes then I go home for Spring Break...

Just to organize my thoughts, I'm posting all of the beneficial threads that I referenced while deciding to do this on my own. A lot of the DIY isn't that organized and is pretty archaic, the real revolution started when people like Mercman, Reach, Wong and co got here...Basically these threads are gonna help me a lot when I get to it tomorrow

I got all of my stuff in the mail at home already...cant wait

Correct way to bypass AMP:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...6&page=1&pp=25

Correct way to Run Speaker Wire: Correct conclusion at END lol

https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-video-electronics-navigation-22/need-help-running-wires-into-tsx-doors-new-amp-speakers-366374/

Running Power through Firewall: v2 w pix

https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-video-electronics-navigation-22/quick-question-tsx-firewall-361934/

Running Power Wire : through firewall W/PICS v1

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...&threadid=3900

BALUN INFO and HARNESS testemonials w/pix
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...8&page=1&pp=25

Another COMPLETE overhaul endeavor like mine w/pix
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...+running+wires

Install USAspec or any aux for that matter w/ pix
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-video-electronics-navigation-22/installation-instructions-photos-usa-spec-pa11-hon2y-353151/

Alright, that's everything. A lot of junk on here and a lot of info too, here's my 2 week search, hope my thread comes in handy for someone as the previous ones have for me

Okay...I get started tomorrow and I'm probably gonna need a lot of HELP. Stay Tuned.

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

Dang only 285 for speakers amps etc!?

Balun and Harness is ~150 alone!!

how's the install comniog along =) lets see some pix!!!

michep21

No That's just for all installation materials and USAspec...

285+~170 for Balun and Harness makes ~450 for everyhing except speakers, amps, subs...

As to why I'm installing that equipment when it had alreayd been in use in my car for 2 years...long story...some of you may know don't really care about it right now. PICS are on their way, havn't started yet tho.

wong05tsx

iTrader: (6)

oh that makes more sense now .
USA Spec ~125
Amp kit ~60
speaker wire ~30
rca's~35



it's frikken 5pm already, get movin!!

michep21

I'm on the East coast, so even later, but anyways it took me longer to get home from college than I thought. Raining like crazy in the southeast.

So I came home and lo and behold a lot of my equipment is already wired and the dealer just cut the power wire. So I'm in a bit of a unique situation, I need to know how to take the old speaker wires that the dealer just cut out of the amp and crossover so I can do my own...also the way amp already has RCA's hooked up so I bought RCAs in vain, it also has 2 DIST blocks, so I bought all the stuff in vain too. All I needed was 2 long power cables...

Anyways, how do I take these old wires out?

The only tool I have is this and maybe other things around the house...


Also, How do I take these old speaker wires out?



My crossovers, too, were once hooked up...but they look like this now, They already have velco on the bottom and the tweeter wires are cut pretty short...so should I just mount them the same place that my old installer (CC) did? do I unscrew the C/O from the bottom and then proceed from there?





Okay, here's how my 2 amps look from the back, and here's the 2 DIST blocks...should I even go through the trouble of installing the Kicker Dist.s? any advantage, or should I just use these since they're already screwed in and such...? Originally CC, too, used 4 gauge and then 8 gauge and I bought the same thing online...







Looking forward to your HELPFUL responses...until then I'm gonna look online to find the manuals for these suckers.

michep21

Kicker 6.5 Component Manual

http://www.kicker.uk.com/pdf/rs/2005...Components.pdf

Bazooka Ba1300 (sub amp) Manual
http://bazooka.com/pdf/current/BA_Amplifier_22805.pdf

MTX Thunder 3404 (4-channel amp 50 watts RMSx4)

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products...tallWiring.pdf

(It says 8-12 gauge for speaker wire...I'm pretty sure the crutchfield harness is much less? What should I do?)

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products...llSettings.pdf

http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products...sManualDoc.pdf

1. I went through all of them...still trying to figure out how to take speaker wire out that's already done by CC...also need to know how to redo it with the new wiring I bought...

2. The Bazooka amp says shorter the ground cable the better...they say less than 6 inches is ideal...so need to find something (hope this is done too).

Gonna start gettin dirty dirty tomorrow...let me know so I can overcome these early roadblocks. TIA

mercman

Just use 18ga or 16ga speaker wire, no need for a heaver gauge then that. You need an Allan wrench to remove the speaker wires from the amp. One should have come with your amp. If you don’t have one you will have to by a set. I don’t know if they are metric or US though.
For the crossovers it looks like you have to remove the covers to access the speaker terminals. Check the manual.
Use the dist blocks already installed, don’t make your job harder.

Did the dealer pull the power and ground wires out as well?

jeff

michep21

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the ground and power wires aren't there anymore...I'm trying to disassemble everythign right now...Kicks Panels and center console.

And gonna try to find the hole CC drilled in firewall (probably on driver's side, since I'm pretty sure they tapped passenger side for speaker wire)

michep21

So I took the center console out, installed the USAspec it works...also took the rest of the center console above the gear shifter out...now I need to know how to proceed...As soon as I take the bolts out I can take the stock amp out and put the 20 pin speaker wire harness and mercman's harness. Once I do that, how will I be able to run those wires under the gear shiter...how do I get it from up there down to carpet and into the trunk?

Also, how do I take the driver's side Side Kick panels out by the door sills? That's where I should run the power right...I can't get them out. Still havn't done power, proabably gonna do that last after I do speaker wire and get the panels removed.

mercman

Move the seats to the front and look for two screws that attach the trim on the rear of the center console (near the floor). Remove the screws and pull off the trim. Next remove the boom back seat cushion. Now you have to route the cable(s) under the carpet and under the back seat. This is the hard part of the job because the carpet is tight and the cables have to make a sharp turn up by the back seat. I used a long socket extension to hold the carpet up while I snaked the cable through. You should have a helper for this. You will see when you get it apart.

If I remember the kick panels pull right off, but check with someone who has done it recently.

jeff